Napoli v Arsenal (Europa League 2018-19)
| next = }} Napoli v Arsenal was a match which took place at the Stadio San Paolo on Thursday 18 April 2019. Arsenal keeper Petr Cech says his side made a "very difficult" trip to Napoli "look easy" to seal a 3-0 aggregate win and reach the Europa League last four. Alexandre Lacazette's first-half free-kick into the top corner earned victory on the night after the hosts had had the better of the early chances. "We controlled the game really well and defended really well too," said Cech. The Gunners will host Valencia in the first leg of their semi-final on Thursday, 2 May (20:00 BST kick-off). Cech, who is retiring as a player this summer, saved well from Jose Callejon, while Arkadiusz Milik had a goal ruled out for offside - but otherwise the Serie A side struggled to make an impression. "Napoli are a fantastic team who always score a lot of goals, especially here at home, so to keep two clean sheets is obviously something positive," added the 36-year-old Czech. "It was a very difficult game but we made it look easier because we played really well." It ensured a comfortable night's work for the Gunners as Unai Emery marked his 50th game as their manager. When it comes to the Europa League knockout stages, Emery has an unequalled managerial record - 26 wins. And his know-how from winning the tournament three seasons in a row from 2013-14 while manager of La Liga side Sevilla came to the fore in the second leg. While the 2-0 advantage from the first leg gave Arsenal room for manoeuvre, there were few thoughts of simply playing to contain their opponents. Deploying a three-man defence allowed them to initially take the game to their hosts as Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac pressed forward and Lucas Torreira and Ramsey controlled proceedings in midfield. Napoli did respond but Lacazette's goal signalled the end of the home pressure and settled any lingering Arsenal nerves. It left Carlo Ancelotti's side needing to score four times and maintained the Gunners' record of scoring early on their travels - 16 of their past 18 away goals have been in the first half. With the cushion of their away goal, Arsenal deployed men behind the ball in the second period, allowing Napoli possession but few chances - with Lorenzo Insigne's tame effort the hosts' only shot on target. While Emery was winning the first of his three Europa League crowns, Carlo Ancelotti was guiding Real Madrid to Champions League success. But after this defeat, the Italian will have to put thoughts of becoming only the seventh manager to win both of European football's major club competitions to the back of his mind. Only Udo Lattek, Bob Paisley, Giovanni Trapattoni, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez had accomplished that feat previously and while Ancelotti's side embraced his instructions to play with "intensity and heart", there was an absence of quality from their performance. At times, they barely resembled the side with the swagger of Serie A's third-highest scorers, behind Juventus and Atalanta. Callejon missed a golden opportunity to score the game's opening goal - firing straight at Cech after a surging forward run from Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly. Poland forward Milik was also wasteful in front of goal, failing to register an effort on target despite being presented with two free headers in front of the Arsenal goal that should have brought more. And it ensured their Europa League campaign ended in an underwhelming fashion. Match Details |team1 = Napoli |score = 0–1 |report = BBC Report UEFA Report |team2 = Arsenal |goals1 = |goals2 = Lacazette |stadium = Stadio San Paolo, Naples |attendance = 39,438 |referee = Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania) }} |valign="top"| |valign="top" width="50%"| |} See also *UEFA Europa League 2018-19 *2018–19 UEFA Europa League knockout phase *1st leg External links *Match report at BBC.co.uk Category:2018-19 Match Day info Category:S.S.C. Napoli matches Category:Arsenal F.C. matches